Very interesting read. Basically back in the cold war, when the US was talking about star wars, russia was scared (imagine that). They knew they
could not protect themselves with any similar sort of system. So they decided "if they will kill us, at least we will have a surprise for them".

They created a system that if it detects a nuclear attack on russia, it can respond without any communication network in place.

Quote:

It wouldn't matter if the US blew up the Kremlin, took out the defense ministry, severed the communications network, and
killed everyone with stars on their shoulders. Ground-based sensors would detect that a devastating blow had been struck and a counterattack would be
launched.

Quote:

Once initiated, the counterattack would be controlled by so-called command missiles. Hidden in hardened silos designed to
withstand the massive blast and electromagnetic pulses of a nuclear explosion, these missiles would launch first and then radio down coded orders to
whatever Soviet weapons had survived the first strike. At that point, the machines will have taken over the war. Soaring over the smoldering,
radioactive ruins of the motherland, and with all ground communications destroyed, the command missiles would lead the destruction of the
US.

Very interesting indeed. What I found a bit fascinating is how they Russians wanted to keep it a secret. Even today it is a bit hard to talk about
it. Luckily wired was able to get some interesting interviews on it, and provide some interesting details about this system that is not only being
maintained to functional means, but continually upgraded too.